As reported yesterday, in yet another humiliating blow to US foreign policy and the State Department, Al Qaeda-linked ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) militants took over the key northern town of Mosul, where an unknown number of US-made Black Hawk helicopters were parked and have been captured by Al Qaeda (potentially the same forces that have been trained by the US across the border in Syria).

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (Isis) has become the richest terror group ever after looting 500 billion Iraqi dinars - the equivalent of $429m (£256m) - from Mosul's central bank, according to the regional governor.

Nineveh governor Atheel al-Nujaifi confirmed Kurdish televison reports that Isis militants had stolen millions from numerous banks across Mosul. A large quantity of gold bullion is also believed to have been stolen.

Following the siege of the country's second city, the bounty collected by the group has left it richer than al-Qaeda itself and as wealthy as small nations such as Tonga, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Falkland Islands.

The financial assets that Isis now possess are likely to worsen the Iraqi governement's struggle to defeat the insurgency, which is aimed at creating an Islamic state across the Syrian-Iraqi border.

In other words, now that it is armed with US-made weapons, this particular al-Qaeda group also happens to be the world's richest terror force!

And so with all disposable cash it needs for a long time and armed to the teeth, what is Al Qaeda to do? Why continue expanding of course. Moments ago, via Reuters, we got confirmation that the "insurgents" have just captured yet another symbolic Iraqi town, Tikrit: the birthplace of none other than Saddam.

Sunni insurgents overran parts of the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday, security sources said.

Tikrit, which is located 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, is the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein

And on the map:

Will they stop here? Of course not. Expect the ISIS force to continue south until finally it overruns Baghdad itself and until all of Iraq, courtesy of a crippled army, officially belongs to Al Qaeda. America's job is done here.

One can't wait until Al Qaeda is also in charge of all the other countries recently liberated by the US and/or CIA.

USAID in action, supporting ISIS

US-supplied humvees captured by Islamic insurgents in the battle for Mosul

Much like the Taliban, these guys are funded by virulent saudi and gulf state money, walk the same line, aren't interested in finding a voice, sharing power, or much else. They rule and won't have any issue executing anyone man woman or child who not only opposes them, but is merely different.

I'm calling BS. No one goes into the Central Bank of Mosul and walks out with $400 million without losing an eye, an ear, or maybe a finger. Nowhere is it mentioned that anyone lost a body part so until I see that, I'm not buying it.

Even Z. Brzezinski, not known for his sympathies toward Russia, states that the threat of an explosion in the Middle East, and in Syria in particular, means that the U.S. needs to work closely with Russia and China “to some extent more than...[with] Britain or France”. And cold war paladin Brzezinski knows what he's talking about here.

One of your links uptop indicates that this group is 20,000 strong and growing quickly.

Feeding 20,000 fighters on a daily basis requires a significant logistics effort. Simply providing the required daily water ration to a force this size living in the desert requires both a large logistics train and a secure source of supply in a land where water is a scarce commodity.

Hard to belleve this activity takes place and no one knows anything about it.

Guess NSA needs to do some Tailored Access Operations on the local camel fleet.

well, I'm sure obama will be more than fucking happy to send his terrorist brothers as much "aid and comfort" as they need to get them through those tough desert nights without going hungry or thirsty.

He'll probabaly set up the EBT foodstamp system in Mosul so they can all buy our food and water and charge it back to the American tax payers.

lol mr dirtlump you point out an amusing irony that the american paid and bush supported saudis bankrolled this whole terrorist program and despite the saudis propaganda efforts the truth is biting them in the ass.

the whole thing is fucked. Al quaeda ( or the like ) used weapons they got from the US in Syria to fight Assad to go to mosul and fight the U sbacked regime then stole money and US weapons to go back to syria and fight for the US with again.

"The plan operates on two essential premises. To survive, Israel must 1) become an imperial regional power, and 2) must effect the division of the whole area into small states by the dissolution of all existing Arab states. Small here will depend on the ethnic or sectarian composition of each state. Consequently, the Zionist hope is that sectarian-based states become Israel’s satellites and, ironically, its source of moral legitimation."

Basically... as Israel, would you rather be surrounded by i) nation states that hate you, with the resources of nation states to impinge on your actions, or ii) squabbling, chaotic Islamic Bantustans, whose 'leaders' you can a) bribe with tactical weaponry and the occasional tidbit of intel, or b) occasionally crush with utter impunity if they look like they're getting bit uppity?

the real problem with the plan is that, when it fails, and all the people around you realize how evil you are, you have a serious situation... especially if your sugar daddy and bully muscle is collapsing and broke from fighting your wars.

I think the people around them already have a very good idea of just how evil they are. And maybe they're as confident of the US retaining Hegemon status as most of the US elite seem to be.

And they probably think they can keep the Shiites and Sunnis at each others' throats for centuries. And why not? The latter have hated each other since long before the Zionists started to get their act together.

The real wild card would be if one of the 'terrorist' groups gets hold of a nuke or two and is genuinely not a CIA/Mossad proxy. But then, as Iran pointed out, why would Muslims want to nuke Palestine when it's their third most holy site, and home to millions of Muslims whom they already see as victims of infidel aggression?

It seems to have alot more veracity than does say something like the protocols of zion, and the idea that the over arching US policy as dictated by a set of people with specific phenotypes and dietary requirements involves smashing up any nation of strength in the middle east is hardly a stretch.

Article states Iraqi Dinars, but I don't know if that's the Iraqi equivalent of the US dollars they got or not. They also grabbed gold bullion. Lots of cash for purchase of weaponry on the open market. They are really set to go now.

Automated posts are starting to show up on ZH (or maybe they have been appearing for a while and I just started to notice.) This one in generic and has no relation to the prior comment, and could just be tossed in anywhere. Not sure what the purpose is.

If they just blow Mosul dam, they achieve the same but can maintain plausible deniability and blame it (both the humanitarian disaster and their demand for mo' money) on those fundamentalist terrorists...

No worries ....The Sunni is a small minority and will be over run by the Shiite majority. This isn't really a big deal but it will result in a stronger, more professional Iraqi army at the end of the day. i am sure Iran would be eager to help erase this nonsense as well.

"Iraq pumps 3.2 million bpd of Brent equivalent $110/barrel good stuff. 20% of that comes out of the north.

Nothing else matters. Keep your eye on the ball.

If it stops, $150/barrel. And it all falls apart."

Exactly. I'm relieved that someone else in here understands the implications of this.

How crazy huge is the American Embassy compound in Iraq again? People don't build whole fucking cities just to up and abandon them when the paint is dry; everyone knew the US was gonna be there. Fer Christ sake: McCain talked openly about a hundred year occupation of Iraq at one point.

How soon before the roll out of the full on American Troop Surge 2.0 or a mixed 'US Peace Keeper' and/or U.N./mercenary/proxy force is the next question We should probably be asking.

Unemployment is a great motivator for enlistment. Ditto the Commander In Sheeps gracious forgiveness of unpayable and otherwise undischargeable edjikation debpts for riding shotgun in British Petroleum's tanker truck convoys...

Forgive me for being a rube, but what does Kim Kardashian actually DO that justifies the Press from panting over her where ever she goes and having photo orgasms when she goes shopping, eats at a restaurant, buys shoes, etc?

I see her in the news a lot but am clueless as to K.K.'s value to society.

She has a big ass, and she was in a sextape once (that is amazingly harder to find than it was when she was undergoing transition from nobody to 'celebrity'). I think she is supposed to represent some sort of Hollywood ideal, how someone can 'rise from nothing by their own merits'. Is it the truth? Of course not.

A perfect example of the 'fame machine'. If they 'make' you, they can 'break' you.

"I see her ( Kardashian ) in the news a lot but am clueless as to K.K.'s value to society."

The American Dream has been supplanted by the audacious HOPE that any loser with enough chutzpah and moral deficiency can suck and jive their way into celebrity, money, and a highly publicized but short lived marriage to a similarly lucky, physically and morally endowed and/or avaricious entertainer/entrepreneur/grifter.

The media loves this meme. It's long form advertisement for 'lifestyle' and 'culture' ( the lack thereof to more or less ) -and sells stuff.

In short: HOPE still exists that if enough cock is smoked one can enjoy 'the good life' and flaunt their 'success' to all those that didn't swallow hard enough.

One way to arm the Al CIADA in Syria is by letting them get their hands on all that US equipment in Mosul, and the cash in the banks. Al maliki waliki whatever his name is, was not playing fully the USA game since he was letting Iran get through to help Syria by flying troops and equipment through Iraq air space. They told him to stop it and he didnt. So the USA is now supporting the old Baaathists again rebranded as ISLISLISL whatever 'what difference does it make'

Dude the Middle East is one easy place to set fire to. These mofos are so easily played.

The only thing not accounted for is the "embarrassment" factor to the D.C. Establishment...Makes further warmongering.politically dicey when even the most "Dancing" bedazzled Amerikan says "wtf?!? We just akomplished that place!!"

First thing I thought was "How incompetent". Then I thought, what if this was just an easy way to "send funding" to a group, or to launder money. Who were the acct holders in those banks in Mosul?

I also think you could have the keys to a helicopter, doesn't mean you can fly it. I'd assume (since we assign such mythic powers to our spy agencies) that said Blackhawks could be easily identified on some kind of tracking system.

In other words, I am assigning to malice what would normally be credited to stupidity. It seems like way too big a score to be dumb luck.

Militants, Taliban, Terrorists, Jihadis, etc. all resistance to invasion lumped together as "AlQaida".

There was no "AlQaida" in Iraq before the US invaded Iraq.

Maybe invading and militarily occupying a country makes enemies.

Maybe setting up a puppet government to facilitate the theft of resources makes enemies.

Maybe it is mainly the Saudis, the CIA, and Mossad that teach, practice, and promote extremism and terrorism.

Maybe “our” side is the principal cause of all this mayhem, and ought just stop promoting conflict by invasions, backing unsavory and extremist puppets, and practicing the terrorism of bombings, drone assassinations, and torture.

But no, wait, let us be arrogant and stupid, and pretend our oligarchs are not robbing them blind,

or doing anything wrong,and that they only resist “our” puppet governments and occupation forces because we are so incredibly "good", and they are so incredibly "bad" not to submit.

Just recently when Zero went to Afghanistan, I was actually praying. Come on; I prayed, come on; it just needs one honest soldier. one man and one bullet. Come on, goddamn it; do your duty ! Unfortunately, they didn't have to interrupt any Tide commercials, for "we bring you this flash anouncement from Afghanistan"; but I had my hopes.

Sadly, though, he was right. BP and China Oil are now pumping Iraq oil (Saddam refused to use anyone but his own companies), and the MIC and bankers made trillions. That was the mission, and it was accomplished.

So is AL CIADA going to carry on fighting in Syria for America or are they going to turn round and say, lets take Iraq back and take control of all the oil production and and other resorces and fuck America over , if I had been shot and raped by America for 10+ years it would be time to hire some mercs (us trained of course to fly the helos and to maintain hmvees with crows systems) and go fuck America , just saying.

The Bush regime lied and fabricated "evidence" that was used to deceive Congress, the American people, and the United Nations.

At the time that these absurd claims were being made, only experts knew that they were false but today everyone knows that the claims were lies.

I wonder why everyone has forgotten how much hate FRANCE got for NOT wanting to contribute in the Irak war.

The whole dumbass "LIBERTY FRIES" , the “cheese-eating surrender MONKEYS” things – all kind of silly jokes still continuing, even in ZH …. Five years of Anti-French slander and vilification was thus thrust by the White House, the administration, members of Congress, governors and by lackeys in the media (like Fox News or Murdoch Press). Remember American TV news showing proud Americans pouring French wines in the gutter.

Remember also Dr. David Kelly (biological warfare expert and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq) and his ultimately suicide/murder ! What if Iraq were invaded ? Kelly replied, “I’ll probably be found dead in the woods...”

May all Americans remember what they did, and how it speaks volumes about how are treated dissent, opinion and opposition.

The Mission is to get the place fighting and destabilized. Same thing in Syria and Ukraine. Its like we are setting fire to the whole world but expect to be nice and safe since we have two oceans worth of water to keep us fireproof.